Hello from Greece! Question about natural colors

[Ifiyenia]

Hi everybody,

I m Ifiyenia, from Athens, Greece (you can see my introduction in the forum for more details abt me).

Being a newbie in cp soap making, and although I spend months reading about formulas, recipes, oils, properties, calculations etc, and having successfully create 6 different batches of cp soap till now, I still have to deal with the huge issue about colors in cp soap.

My intention is to keep ingredients as closer to 'natural' as possible, and I wouldn't mind at all having all my soaps beige/white, BUT most people want some color in their soap. My experiments with herbal infusions and spices are ok so far, but missing that extra something.. no way to achieve a red for example, or close to red-pink soap, or blue for that matter.

So, all the info I found so far lead me to iron oxides. Is it the most "natural" thing I can use for my soaps?
That's what I understood so far, am I right or am I missing something?

And what about the pigments or micas? Do they also get the "natural" (or as close to natural as it gets) label?

What are your experiences with oxides?
Do they fade with time? How much do you use? Do they give subtle, pastel colors or more vibrant ones?
What about pigments and micas on cp?

In general, which would you advise?
Pros, cons?

(whatever I choose to buy I will get from the Bramble Berry's. I loved their site, info, and professionalism, although they are not really cheap).

Thanks in advance for your time, info and expertise!

I m so glad I found you all guys!

Kisses from a sunny, sunny Athens!

 

[Soaplady22]

Welcome to the board!!

As far as using natural colorants, oxides and herbs are your best bet. Or, calendula petals stay yellow in soap for example. I can't remember if pigments are natural or not .... but someone else should chime in soon.

Best of luck to you!! And Bramble Berry, althought not cheap!, is a reputable seller. I get many of my FOs there.

Again, welcome!!

 

[soapbuddy]

If you don't mind an animal based product, you can use cochineal to get a natural pink.

 

[Soaplady22]

Oh that reminds me .... charcoal powder makes a killer black. Use 1 tsp. per pound oil (PPO) and mix like crazy. I just used it for the first time a couple of days ago in a swirl - 1 tsp in 16 oz. swirl and 1 tsp. titanium dioxide in the rest of the pot for a great white. And there you go; titanium dioxide is "all natural"!!

 

[Hazel]

One of the forum members posted info about using natural colorants on her blog. Here's the link if you haven't seen it. You have to scroll down a little to see the articles. I hope this helps.

http://www.lovinsoap.com/

 

[Ifiyenia]

Wow, so many wonderful soapers chimed in so fast, what more a girl can ask for?

Soaplady22, that's what I thought too, oxides and herbs. As for charcoal powder I had it in mind already.

soapbuddy, I don't really know where to find cochineal, I haven't seen anything online so far, but probably I can live without pink/red

Hazel, I knew the Loving Soap blog, Amanda has some great, great posts and I got many info from her.

Thanks so much all of you for your time, and once again I m so happy to find you
Be aware though, I m gonna post lots of question in the future, lol! Hope you'll put up with my ignorance

 

[paillo]

Oh that reminds me .... charcoal powder makes a killer black. Use 1 tsp. per pound oil (PPO) and mix like crazy. I just used it for the first time a couple of days ago in a swirl - 1 tsp in 16 oz. swirl and 1 tsp. titanium dioxide in the rest of the pot for a great white. And there you go; titanium dioxide is "all natural"!!

actually, titanium dioxide is NOT all natural. it is chemically processed to remove impurities. it is natural in the same way asbestos and arsenic are naturally-occurring. there is considerable controversy about its safety in cosmetics -- mostly related to breathing it in, but also in relation to ultra-fine or nanotech properties. i, for one, am avoiding it until there is more science behind whether it is safe, or not, in specific uses, including cosmetics.

also, the mineral oxides used in cosmetics and soap are synthetic, sorry to say.

from http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient ... ent_id=605

"Scientific facts:
Iron Oxides are naturally occuring mineral deposits. These compounds are used as pigments in a variety of applications. Iron Oxides used in cosmetic and personal care products are synthetic. Because some of the starting materials for synthetic Iron Oxide may come from the earth there may be trace amounts of heavy metals present. The levels of heavy metals in Iron Oxides are regulated by the FDA, and the small amounts that may eventually be in cosmetic or personal care products do not pose a risk to human health." to sum that up, they are categorized as GRAS, Generally Regarded As Safe...

i'm opening an old can of worms, but so be it, it's a topic worth frequently revisiting as new science emerges

i don't have a problem using mineral oxides, i love the colors, but i would NEVER put 'all natural' on my labels if i included them....

 

[carebear]

some think oxides are "natural" - they aren't.
clays are, kinda, but the mining of them devastates the area so I don't like those either.

frankly, I believe those evil chemically created (LOL) colorants are lower impact than quasi-natural.

 

[Ifiyenia]

paillo, hmm... food for thought... :?

 

[frieda]

this is another great link I like, discussing different natural colourings: http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/soapcolo ... lwoodcolor
From some natural colourings there are also pictures.

 

[lsg]

I like colored clays for muted tones.

 

[paillo]

some think oxides are "natural" - they aren't.
clays are, kinda, but the mining of them devastates the area so I don't like those either.

frankly, I believe those evil chemically created (LOL) colorants are lower impact than quasi-natural.

really good point, carebear, important to think not only about whether something is 'natural' but also about the impact it has on the ecosystems on which we depend -- and there is so much inter-related stuff we are only beginning to understand...

 

[frieda]

good points indeed...it makes making decisions so difficult...

 

[Ifiyenia]

Frieda, the link was great.
Here's another link from this site, with some great pics and notes

http://crafty.dyskolus.com/coloring/coloring.html

carebear good point indeed..

I think I m going to stay with herbs and probably some oxides. Uff, decisions, decisions... :roll:

 

[carebear]

Nothing we do is without impact. It's all a balancing act.

Palm Oil = orangutang/ecology vs local poverty
Palm Oil v Lard = veggie vs animal
Soy Wax = "natural" vs pesticides
Clay = mining issues

even recycling is not without cost - the processing costs, the extra energy expended, the transportation costs, etc...

 

[FreeRabbit]

I am still working my way around natural colorants
the thing is about chemicals is that I am not sure what impact they have on the skin (if any) every year new stuff come up, for instance now people say sunscreen leaves a nasty metal residue on your skin... so I don't know about these colorants... needs to look into it more

with natural colorants I have to admit the colors so far are not so bright and shinly like I would like... and it seems like this is what I will get from watching the internet and pics of soaps...

 

[frieda]

On the other hand if you are planning to use natural collorants for a public that is "in" natural things they wouldn't mind the less pronounced colours and might even disregard colours who are too pronounced...guess it is up to every one for them selfs to decide what they feel that is important.
Here is a link about the consequences of palmoil:
www.saynotopalmoil.com
In fact; are there other options than tallow or palmoil to use as a hard oil in soap?(or is this off thread?)

 

[busymakinsoap!]

Frieda, the link was great.
Here's another link from this site, with some great pics and notes

http://crafty.dyskolus.com/coloring/coloring.html

carebear good point indeed..

I think I m going to stay with herbs and probably some oxides. Uff, decisions, decisions... :roll:

That link was really good, but for some reason the idea of using tomato paste made me gag, and peppers for colour - ouch :shock:
I really want to try avocado though.

 

[PippiL]

go to natural soapmaking resources, Steve sells international and he has a big assortment of real natural color. Just ordered indigo, madder root and green french clay.

 

[Ifiyenia]

Thanks PippiL!

And by the way, it's sooo cool to have the forum running smoothly again! I missed it!